Does anyone know, or know how to access the huge volumes of tape recordings that enthusiastic Carnatic music fans, especially in Madras/Chennai made with their home tape recorders in the 1960s?

These included live performances, special performances, and All India Radio concerts. As far as I know, little of this material (of the greats in their prime-MS, GNB etc.) made it to record or commercially released tapes, and the music recorders/collectors are getting old. As far as I know there are not networks of people exchanging this stuff any more since back then, when enthusiasts would share.

This is, needless to say an incomparable cultural treasure.

Ideas, info, speculation welcome.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), August 12, 2000

Answers

Hello Mani, I'm Anil Prabhu & own a music distribution co entitled Dancing Dolphin in New Jersey. I have just written to Kishore as regards the lack of merchandise especially when it comes to carnatic/devotional & sanskrit products with retail. Coming to the point,in my inventory there is a cd of G.N.Balasubramaniam it's called " Carnatic Vocal(1910-1965)An All India Radio Release". The track details are as follows 1) "Swaminatha Paripalaya"(Kriti) Raga:Nata Tala:Adi A Janya of Chalanata-The 36th Mela Karta composer : Muthuswamy Dikshitar (1775-1835)duration 9:33 2)"Kalala Nerchina"(kriti) Raga:Deepakam Tala:Adi A Janya Of Kamavardini-The 51st mela composer:Tyagaraja (1767-1847) 3)"Marukelara Nerchina"(kriti) Raga:Jayanthasri Tala:Adi A Janya of Natabhairavi (20th mela) composer :Tyagaraja (1767-1847) 4)"Brochevarevarura"(kriti) Raga:Khamas Tala:Adi A Janya of Harikhambhoji Composer : Mysore Vasudevachar Let me know if this interests you. Regards, Anil Prabhu.

-- Anil Prabhu (aprabhu@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Hi Mani, saw your post today. There is a news group in Yahoo called cmxchange (Carnatic Music Exchange). The group was started to exchange Carnatic music. The grp. has many members and many of them have excellent collection of old artists. You should join this group. I am sure you will like it and benefit from it..

Aanand

-- Aanand Ramachandran (aanand11@yahoo.com), January 19, 2003.